


The Flower Merchant

by Revasnaslan



Series: Sunflowers and Lavender [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Misunderstandings, Pre-Relationship, alien customs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-07 00:07:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11047179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revasnaslan/pseuds/Revasnaslan
Summary: Hunk and Shiro have been sent on a shopping trip to a peaceful, arboreal planet. Hunk meets a friendly flower merchant, and Shiro accidentally sends them the wrong message. Alien customs, man...





	The Flower Merchant

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Akumeoi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/gifts).



> another thing that i was originally writing for shunk week and am just now finishing :P

The market bustled around Hunk and Shiro as they made their way through, trying to avoid treading on anyone’s heels. The warm mid-morning sun beat down through the leaves of the trees, and onto the assorted stalls and tents. The village they were in now reminded Hunk most of a village they had seen while visiting with the Olkari several quintants prior. Houses and other buildings had been constructed atop tree platforms, connected together by bridges. The residents of the village and the marketplace were kept several stories above the forest floor.

He and Shiro had been sent to this village with a list of provisions and supplies that Coran felt the Castle of Lions was currently lacking.

While they had already crossed off a large portion of the list, they were still missing a few key items that had been deemed ‘crucial’ according to Coran’s tiered list system. However, as they searched, Hunk had begun to question if some of the items on the list even existed anymore. Coran did have a tendency to forget that it had been ten thousand years since he had done extensive shopping, after all.

A burst of yellow in his peripheral vision caused Hunk to pause, and he turned his head to look at the source. The flowers on display at the stall were a soft yellow, with wavy petals that curled downward, back towards the stem. They almost seemed to _glow_ in the direct sunlight they were being displayed in. Hunk had never seen anything like them back on Earth. He stared in awe, even as Shiro continued walking ahead towards another stall, completely oblivious to his companion’s newfound interest in the local flora. Hunk leaned down to smell the flowers and was surprised to find that they smelled of salt and sun, similar to the ocean.

“Ah, interested in the _tali_ flower, I see,” the florist at the stall said. They were a member of the local population, appearing to be half-human-half-plant, in a sense. Their species was colorful, with leaves naturally covering their bodies. These leaves seemed to change color with the seasons. The florist’s leaves had already begun to shift to a deep shade of purple, matching those of the canopy above them.

“They’re _beautiful_!” Hunk said as he returned the florist’s smile. “Do you grow them yourself?”

“Oh, yes,” the florist said, as their smile became a full-blown grin. “My husband and I have a greenhouse closer to the canopy where we grow them. The _tali_ flower will only grow with the right amount of sunlight. Are you interested in purchasing one?”

“Hunk!”

Shiro’s voice broke into the conversation before Hunk could answer. Shiro had paused a couple of feet away, trying to repack one of the bags he had slung over his shoulder to accommodate his newest purchase. Then, with that done, he fished the list out of his pocket and crossed off whatever he had managed to find at the last stall.

“We still have a couple more stops to make,” Shiro reminded him, “And Coran is expecting—” He paused abruptly, looking up from the list and noticing the flowers.

“Shiro!” Hunk said, grabbing Shiro’s arm, jostling the bags, and leading him over to the stall. “Come and smell these flowers! Aren’t they beautiful?”

Shiro’s eyes widened in interest as he looked the flowers over. “Yes, they are,” he agreed. Then, he dug around in one of his pockets, looking for the coin satchel that Coran had given them that morning. “Do you want one? We might have enough GAC to spare—”

“Oh, how sweet!” the florist said—Hunk swore that the edges of their leaves tinged a light shade of red. “Have you been seeing each other long?”

There was a long pause as both Shiro and Hunk stared at them, completely dumbfounded by the implication. Hunk felt as his face must have gone bright red. When he glanced at Shiro, he noticed that Shiro’s cheeks had dusted pink and his eyes had widened to the size of saucers.

“S-Sorry?” Shiro managed, voice cracking.

“Oh, but of course, you are tourists!” the florist said, their expression faltering as they realized their error. “Traditionally, the _tali_ flower is given to someone when you are interested in them—”

“Oh, no, no, no,” Hunk said quickly, shaking his head. It felt as though his cheeks were on fire, and his heart hammered in his chest. “We’re just—just friends!”

“I apologize for insinuating—” the florist began.

“It’s fine,” Shiro assured them, “An honest mistake, really there’s nothing to worry about.”

Hunk took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves before he spoke again. “I’d still like one…” he said, voice meek—his cheeks still burned in embarrassment, but one of those flowers would look beautiful somewhere back on the ship. “I mean—I know you mean nothing by it, Shiro—and—and they really _are_ pretty—”

Shiro started counting out a couple of coins in his hands. “How much?”

“Oh, five GAC for you, dear,” the florist said. They seemed to have immediately bounced back from their initial bout of embarrassment. They smiled as Shiro handed over the coin, and Hunk reached out to pick the largest flower from the display. The florist waved as they began to leave. “I hope that flower brings you boys luck on your journeys!”

“Thank you!” Hunk said over his shoulder.

They walked in relative silence, even as the market bustled around them. It was a little difficult to navigate, as the market had become steadily more congested as the morning had gone on. They didn’t speak, and Hunk tried to ignore the uneasiness that was sinking in his gut the longer they went without speaking.

“I think this will look nice in the kitchen,” he finally said, as a means of alleviating the some of the tension. “What do you think, Shiro?”

Shiro hummed softly in agreement, his gentle smile tinged with something Hunk couldn't quite place. “I think so too.”

**Author's Note:**

> the tali flower was named after a character from mass effect, and they're supposed to look like the magical flowers from tangled xD
> 
> tumblr: [revasnaslan](http://revasnaslan.tumblr.com)  
> beta'd by: [Akumeoi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Akumeoi)


End file.
